Pune rape-murder case: Accused acquitted twice in past for similar assaults

PUNE: The 65-year-old accused in the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Nasrapur village in Bhor taluka of Pune district had twice faced sexual offence charges earlier and walked free, raising questions over investigation lapses and delayed justice.

Police said the man, a father of six girls and a boy, was acquitted in 2019 of sexually assaulting his cousin's 17-year-old daughter in 2015 as the court held that the prosecution failed to prove charges against him. Records show he had also faced a molestation case in 1998 and was acquitted.

In the 2015 case, the Rajgad police in rural Pune had registered a case against him under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. A sessions court in Pune, while acquitting him in 2019, had observed that the prosecution failed to prove the crime beyond reasonable doubt.

The survivor in that case was also his neighbour and a BCom student at that time. She had said in her complaint that the accused had tried to sexually assault her in his house when she entered to help him start the television at his request. She managed to escape even as he tried to threaten her with a sickle.

According to police record, the accused was booked under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with Section 7 (sexual assault), punishable under Section 8 of Pocso Act.

The court had observed that it was difficult to solely rely on the survivor's testimony as statements by her, her mother and her aunt — who were witnesses in the case — had inconsistencies. Referring to the accused's background of having seven children, the court had also observed that it was difficult to believe that a person with such a large family would act with the girl in such a way and at such a place, where houses and fields of relatives were located nearby.

However, the same man has now been caught in another case of child abuse in which he allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered a three-year-old girl in Nasrapur village on Friday.

The court order revealed that police had also failed to prove the survivor as minor since no document other than her leaving certificate was produced.

Residents of Nasrapur have questioned whether timely action and conviction of the accused in both these cases would have prevented Friday's heinous crime.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur on Sunday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "We will review past criminal records of the accused and investigate possible lapses in earlier probes."

Activists said that a thorough police investigation and timely conviction are crucial to prevent such crimes. "In most cases, the accused are known to the survivor — often relatives or neighbours. When the accused is from within the family, witnesses tend to turn hostile, weakening the case. Delays in justice, along with social and family pressure, further complicate matters," activist Yamini Adbe said, and added that fast-track courts are in name only, and trials take years to complete.

"We are fighting cases that are 10-12 years old, which have come on board for hearing now and the victims have already moved on in their lives," she added.
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